Golf practice aids

ABSTRACT

A golf practice aid embodying a member having adhesive of different tackiness on opposite sides thereof, whereby the member may be secured to a golf ball by the less sticky adhesive in position where the face of the golf club head will strike the stickier adhesive during the golf swing of the club, thereby causing the member to be removed from the ball and transferred to the face of the club to mark the portion thereof which struck the ball.

United States Patent [1 1 1111 3,806,132 Brandell Apr. 23, 1974 1 GOLF PRACTICE AIDS 1,572,527 2/1926 Goldsworthy 273/186 B Inventor: J R. Brande", 1527 Sequoia 3,401,941 9/l968 Hesldence 273/l86 E Trl., Glenview, Ill. 60025 Primary ExaminerGeorge J. Marlo [22] Flled: 1972 Attorney, Agent, or FirmRoot & OKeeffe [21] Appl. No: 279,742

[57] ABSTRACT [52] 273/186 46/DIG 13311 A golf practice aid embodying a member having adhe- 6 9 sive f different a ess n oppos te des t ereof [58] Field of Search 273/183, 86 l 3, 194, whereby the member may be secured to a golf ball by 273/35 46/DIG' 1 the less sticky adhesive in position where the face of the golf club head will strike the stickier adhesive dur- [56] References cued ing the golf swing of the club, thereby causing the UNITED STATES PATENTS member to be removed from the ball and transferred 1,259,787 3/1918 Segall 46/D1G. 1 to the face of the club to mark the portion thereof 3,214,939 11/1965 Monahan 46/DIG. l which struck the ball. 2,246,984 6/l94l Palmer 46/DIG. 1 1,842,944 1/1932 OBrien 273/183 C 12 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures GOLF PRACTICE AIDS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to golf practice aids, and, more particularly, to practice aids for indicating to a golfer where, on the face of a golf club, impact was made with a golf ball during a golf club swing.

It is a primary object of the present invention to afford a novel golf practice aid.

Another object of the present invention is to afford a novel golf practice aid for indicating to a golfer where, on the face of a golf club, impact was made with a golf ball during a golf club swing.

As is well known to golfers, the position on the face of a golf club at which impact is made with a golf ball during golf swing is a substantial factor in determining the quality of the shot" made by the golfer during that particular swing. When a golf ball is struck at the socalled sweet spot on the face of the club, which is that portion of the face which is intended to, and should contact the ball, a flight of the greatest length and of the proper trajectory normally is imparted to the ball. Variation from this proper point of impact changes the results obtained, one of the most frequent changes being loss of distance in the flight of the ball. As a result, during most golf shots, golfers strive to strike the ball at the proper place on the face of the golf club being swung. In fact, many golfers spend much time practicing hitting golf balls in an endeavor to perfect a so-called grooved swing whereby the ball will be struck at the proper place on the club during each golf swing. However, it is difficult for a golfer to accurately determine, without an effective aid of some sort, where on the golf club face a golf ball has been struck. It is an important object of the present invention to afford such an aid.

Golf practice aids for indicating the position of impact on the face of a golf club during a golf swing have been heretofore known in the art, such as, for example, those shown in Grossman U.S. Pat. No. 2,660,436; Ramsey U.S. Pat. No. 3,071,379; Pickler U.S. Pat. No. 3,137,507; and Hesidence U.S. Pat. No. 3,401,941. However, golf practice aids heretofore known in the art for indicating the point of impact between the head of a golf club and a golf ball commonly have had several inherent disadvantages, such as, for example, changing the weight or balance of the golf club; being difficult to see or interpret; not being capable of effective repeated use; requiring an attachment to be secured to the golf club during the golf swing; being complicated in construction or operation; or being difficult or expensive to manufacture, and the like. It is another important object of the present invention to overcome such disadvantages.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel golf practice aid which, when used, will afford the golfer an accurate, readily interpreted indication of the position on the face of the golf club at which impact was made with the ball during a golf swing.

Another object of the present invention is to afford a novel golf practice aid of the aforementioned type, which may be repeatedly used.

Yet another object of the present invention is to afford a novel and practical golf practice aid which may be secured to a golf ball in position to mark the place on the ball where it is desired to strike the ball with the club during a golf swing, and which, when the ball is struck, will transfer from the ball to the place on the face of the club at which impact was made with the ball to thereby afford a readily visible identification of the exact position on the golf club face at which such impact was made.

A further object of the present invention is to afford a novel golf practice aid of the aforementioned type which may be used with standard golf balls of the type normally used in the actual playing of a game of golf.

Another object of the present invention is to afford a novel golf practice aid of the aforementioned type, which, after it has been used, may be quickly and easily removed from the golf club and disposed in operative position on the next golf ball to be struck, for again transferring to the face of the club upon impact of the latter with the ball.

Another object of the present invention is to enable a novel golf practice aid of the aforementioned type to be afforded which is relatively small and compact in size.

Another object is to afford a novel golf practice aid of the aforementioned type which may be readily carried by a golfer.

A further object of the present invention is to afford a novel golf practice aid of the aforementioned type which may be packaged in a novel an expeditious manner for commercial distribution.

Another object of the present invention is to afford a novel golf practice aid of the aforementioned type which is practical and efficient in operation, and which may be readily and economically produced commercially.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and claims and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which, by way of illustration, show a preferred embodiment of the present invention and the principles thereof and what I now consider to be the best mode in which I have contemplated applying these principles. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalent principles may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention and the purview of the appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. .1 is a top plan view of a golf practice aid embodying the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 22 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a golf ball, showing the golf practice aid, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, mounted in operative position thereon;

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the head of a golf club, showing the golf practice aid, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, disposed in operative position on the front face thereof;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a plurality of golf practice aids, of the type shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, mounted on a common carrier; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken substantially along the line 6-6 in FIG. 5.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT SHOWN HEREIN A golf practice aid 1, embodying the principles of the present invention is shown in the drawings to illustrate the presently preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The golf practice aid 1 embodies an indicator member in the form of a flat disc 2, having adhesive coatings 3 and 4 disposed on the opposite faces and 6 thereof, respectively, FIG. 2.

The disc 2 may be made of any suitable material, but preferably is made of a suitable flat sheet material such as, for example, paper, a suitable plastic or a suitable metal, such as, for example, aluminum. Likewise, the adhesive coatings 3 and 4 may be made of any suitable adhesive, but, preferably, are made from suitable pressure sensitive adhesives, which are capable of being removed and reapplied, such adhesives being well known and readily available on the market. The coating 4 has an affinity for adhering to the face of a golf club which is greater than the affinity of the coating 3 foradhering to the face of a golf ball, for a purpose which will be discussed in greater detail presently. This may be accomplished, for example, by having the area of the face 5 covered by the coating 3 be of less size than the area of the face 6 covered by the coating 4, using the same identical adhesives for the two coatings 3 and 4. However, I prefer to afford this greater affinity for adhering of the coating 4 by using adhesives of a different tackiness for the coatings 3 and 4. For example, the coating 3 may be made of an adhesive having a light tackiness, and the coating 4 may be made of an adhesive having a medium tackiness.

In the preferred form of the invention shown in the drawings, the disc 2 embodies a round body portion 7 from one side of which projects an elongated tab 8. The coatings 3 and 4 are confined to the body portion 7 and, preferably, entirely cover the sides 5 and 6 thereof, respectively.

With this construction, the golf practice aid 1 may be mounted on the outer surface ofa golf ball, such as the ball 9 shown in FIG. 3, by adhering the golf practice aid 1 to the ball 9 by the adhesive coating 3. This may be readily accomplished by merely pressing the adhesive coating 3 into firm engagement'with the outer surface of the ball 9 by the pressure ofa thumb, or the like, applied against the opposite side of the golf practice aid 1.

Thereafter, with the golf practice aid 1 attached thereto, the ball 9 may be placed on a tee or on the ground, with the golf practice aid 1 centered on that portion of the ball 9 against which it is desired that the golf club will make contact during a golf swing. Normally, of course, this will be the center'of the face of the ball, facing directly rearwardly to the intended horizontal direction of travel of the ball.

The golf practice aid 1 may be of any suitable size, but, preferably, is of such a size that it is readily visible on the ball to a golfer addressing the latter, but is sufficiently small that when the ball is properly struck with a golf club, during a golf swing, the entire body portion 7 is struck by the face of the club. I prefer that the body portion 7 be round in shape and that it have a diameter of not substantially less than five-sixteenths inch and not substantially more than nine-sixteenths inch, and preferably, seven-sixteenths inch. Also, I prefer that the tab 8 have a length of not substantially less than two thirty-seconds inch and not substantially more than five thirty-seconds inch, and, preferably, three thirtyseconds inch; and a width of not substantially less than one-sixteenth inch and not substantially more than three-sixteenths inch, and, preferably, one-eighth inch. However, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the aforementioned shapes and sizes are set forth herein merely by way of illustration and not by way of limitation, and other shapes and sizes of golf practice aids may be used, without departing from the purview of the broader aspects of the present invention.

With the golf practice aid 1 thus positioned on the ball 9, and with the ball 9 disposed in the aforementioned proper position to be struck by a golf club, such as the golf club 10 shown in FIG. 4, when the ball 9 is struck by the golf club, the face 11 of the head 12 thereof strikes against the outwardly facing coating 4 on the golf practice aid 1, thereby causing the golf practice aid 1 to adhere to the face of the golf club, FIG. 4, and thus be removed from the ball 9, which is free to move away from the club 10. This transfer of the golf practice aid 1 from the ball 9 to the face 11 of the golf club 10, in the preferred form of the present inven tion, is effected because of the differential in the adhesiveness or tackiness of the adhesive coatings 3 and 4, it being remembered that the coating 4 is of substantially greater tackiness than thecoating 3. As is shown in FIG. 4, this transfer of the golf practice aid 1 to the face 11 of the head 12 of the golf club 10 affords an effective, accurate and readily visible indication to the golfer of the point of impact of the club 10 with the ball 9, which has just been struck and knocked away.

As will be appreciated by golfers, such determination of the point of impact between the ball and the club, which may be made by inspecting the face 11 of the club 10 to determine the position of the golf practice aid 1 thereon, is of substantial assistance in determining what corrections, if any, are necessary during the next golf swing in order to strike the next golf ball 9 at the proper place on the face of the club. After each golf swing and subsequent inspection of the face of the club, the golfer may quickly and easily remove the golf practice aid 1 from the face of the club by pulling on the tab 8 to thereby strip the golf practice aid 1 from the club, and the golf practice aid 1 may then be applied, in proper position, to the next golf ball 9 to be struck. This procedure of stripping the golf practice aid 1 from the club and reapplying it to the next golf ball to be struck normally may be repeated several times before the necessary adhesiveness of the coatings 3 and 4 are lost, at which time a new golf practice aid 1 may be substituted. It has been found that golf practice aids embodying the principles of the present invention commonly may thus be re-used, effectively, twenty, and more, times.

In the preferred form of the golf practice aid 1, as it is furnished to the golfer, the adhesive coatings 3 and 4 are covered and protected by readily removable sheets, such as the sheets 13 and 14, respectively, FIG. 6. The sheets 13 and 14 may be made of any suitable material such as, for example, cellophane or paper treated with a suitable release agent so that the body portion 2 and the coatings 3 and 4 may be readily stripped from the sheets 13 and 14.

Preferably, the sheet 14 is in the form of a bottom sheet or carrier, which is of substantially greater size than the disc 2 so that several golf practice aids I, having a common bottom sheet 14 may be packaged and carried together, as shown in FIG. 5.

Also, preferably, the sheet 13 is in the form of a top sheet or cover, which is of the same size as the disc 2, having a body portion 15, which is of the same size as the body portion 7, disposed in aligned, covering relation to the body portion 7; and an elongated tab 16, which is of the same size and shape as the tab 8, disposed in parallel overlying relation to the latter. With this construction, the sheet 13 may be quickly and easily removed from the disc 2 by grasping the tab 16 and pulling thereon to thereby strip the sheet 13 from the adhesive coating 3; and the disc 2 may be quickly and easily removed from the sheet 14 by grasping the tab 8 and stripping the coating 4 from the sheet 14.

If desired, the respective sides of the golf practice aid 1 may be of two different colors, such as, for example, by suitably coloring the adhesive coatings 3 and 4, so that the coating to be applied to the ball 9 may be readily identified so as to aid in insuring that the golfer will properly apply the golf practice aid 1 to the ball, with the proper adhesive coating 4 facing outwardly, for effecting transfer of the golf practice aid 1 from the ball 9 to the golf club 10 during a golf swing.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present invention affords a novel golf practice aid for effectively indicating the point of impact of a golf ball on the face of a golf club.

Also, it will be seen that the present invention affords a novel golf practice aid of the aforementioned type which may be readily used and which does not affect the weight or balance of the golf club being swung.

In addition, it will be seen that the present invention affords a novel golf practice aid of the aforementioned type which is practical and efficient in use and operation, and which may be readily and economically produced commercially.

Thus, while I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that this is capable of variation and modification, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth, but desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fall within the purview of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A golf practice aid for use by golfers in practicing a golfing swing, using a golf club and a regulation golf ball, and comprising a. an indicator member,

b. an adhesive on one side of said indicator member for securing said member to a golf ball, and

c. another adhesive on the side of said indicator member remote from said one side for securing said member to the face of the head of a golf club and simultaneously automatically removing said member from said ball when said ball is struck by said face with said member disposed between said ball and said face.

2. A golf practice aid as defined in claim 1, and in which a. said other adhesive has a greater affinity for adhering to such a face than the affinity of said first mentioned adhesive to adhere to such a golf ball.

3. A golf practice aid as defined in claim 2, and in which a. said adhesives comprise pressure-sensitive adhesives, and

b. said indicator member includes an adhesive-free portion projecting outwardly from said adhesive for manually stripping said indicator member from such a face.

4. A golf practice aid for use by golfers in practicing a golfing swing, and for determining the point of impact of a golf ball on a golf club during such a swing, comprising a. an indicator member having two oppositely disposed outer faces,

b. an adhesive coating on one of said faces for securing said member to a golf ball with the other of said faces facing outwardly from said ball in position to be disposed between said ball and the face of the head of a golf club when said ball is struck by said club during a golf swing, and

c. another adhesive coating on said other face,

d. said other coating being more sticky than said first mentioned coating for securing said member to said golf club face and thereby automatically re move said member from said ball when said ball is so struck by said club.

5. A golf practice aid as defined in claim 4, and in which a. said indicator member is substantially flat.

6. A golf practice aid as defined in claim 4, and in which a. said indicator member comprises a disc of sheet material.

7. A golf practice aid as defined in claim 6, and in which a. said disc comprises 1. a body portion, and 2. a tab projecting outwardly from said body portion, and b. said coatings are disposed only on said body portion. 8. A golf practice aid as defined in claim 4, and in which a. said indicator member comprises a paper disc.

9. A golf practice aid as defined in claim 4, and in which I a. said indicator member comprises a metal disc.

10. A golf practice aid for use by golfers in practicing a golf swing, using a regulation golf club and a regulation golf ball, and comprising a. a substantially flat indicator member having two oppositely disposed faces,

b. two pressure-sensitive adhesive coatings disposed on respective ones of said faces,

c. one of said coatings being less tacky than the other,

and

d. two sheet members mounted on respective ones of said coatings in covering relation thereto,

e. said sheet member on said one coating being removable therefrom for exposing said one coating for adhesively securing said indicator member to such a golf ball, with said other coating facing outwardly therefrom in position to be struck by the face of the head of such a golf club when said ball is struck by said club in a golf swing of the latter,

f. said sheet member on the'other of said coatings being removable therefrom for exposing said other coating for adhesively securing said indicator mem- 7 8 ber to said face of said head and thereby automatiand from such a club head. cally remove said indicator member from said ball 12. A golf practice aid as defined in claim 11, and in when said indicator member is so struck by said which face of said club. a. one of said sheet members extends beyond said 11. A golf practice aid as defined in claim 10, and in disc in all directions, and which b. the other of said sheet members comprises a. said indicator member comprises a disc having a 1. a body portion of the same size as said first menbody portion, tioned body portion and disposed in covering b. said adhesives are disposed on said body portion, juxtaposition thereto, and

and 10 2. an adhesive-free tab of the same size as said first c. said disc includes an adhesive-free tab projecting mentioned tab and disposed in overlying parallel outwardly away from said body portion for manurelation thereto. ally stripping said disc from said sheet members 

1. A golf practice aid for use by golfers in practicing a golfing swing, using a golf club and a regulation golf ball, and comprising a. an indicator member, b. an adhesive on one side of said indicator member for securing said member to a golf ball, and c. another adhesive on the side of said indicator member remote from said one side for securing said member to the face of the head of a golf club and simultaneously automatically removing said member from said ball when said ball is struck by said face with said member disposed between said ball and said face.
 2. A golf practice aid as defined in claim 1, and in which a. said other adhesive has a greater affinity for adhering to such a face than the affinity of said first mentioned adhesive to adhere to such a golf ball.
 2. a tab projecting outwardly from said body portion, and b. said coatings are disposed only on said body portion.
 2. an adhesive-free tab of the same size as said first mentioned tab and disposed in overlying parallel relation thereto.
 3. A golf practice aid as defined in claim 2, and in which a. said adhesives comprise pressure-sensitive adhesives, and b. said indicator member includes an adhesive-free portion projecting outwardly from said adhesive for manually stripping said indicator member from such a face.
 4. A golf practice aid for use by golfers in practicing a golfing swing, and for determining the point of impact of a golf ball on a golf club during such a swing, comprising a. an indicator member having two oppositely disposed outer faces, b. an adhesive coating on one of said faces for securing said member to a golf ball with the other of said faces facing outwardly from said ball in position to be disposed between said ball and the face of the head of a golf club when said ball is struck by said club during a golf swing, and c. another adhesive coating on said other face, d. said other coating being more sticky than said first mentioned coating for securing said member to said golf club face and thereby automatically remove said member from said ball when said ball is so struck by said club.
 5. A golf practice aid as defined in claim 4, and in which a. said indicator member is substantially flat.
 6. A golf practice aid as defined in claim 4, and in which a. said indicator member comprises a disc of sheet material.
 7. A golf practice aid as defined in claim 6, and in which a. said disc comprises
 8. A golf practice aid as defined in claim 4, and in which a. said indicator member comprises a paper disc.
 9. A golf practice aid as defined in claim 4, and in which a. said indicator member comprises a metal disc.
 10. A golf practice aid for use by golfers in practicing a golf swing, using a regulation golf club and a regulation golf ball, and comprising a. a substantially flat indicator member having two oppositely disposed faces, b. two pressure-sensitive adhesive coatings disposed on respective ones of said faces, c. one of said coatings being less tacky than the other, and d. two sheet members mounted on respective ones of said coatings in covering relation thereto, e. said sheet member on said one coating being removable therEfrom for exposing said one coating for adhesively securing said indicator member to such a golf ball, with said other coating facing outwardly therefrom in position to be struck by the face of the head of such a golf club when said ball is struck by said club in a golf swing of the latter, f. said sheet member on the other of said coatings being removable therefrom for exposing said other coating for adhesively securing said indicator member to said face of said head and thereby automatically remove said indicator member from said ball when said indicator member is so struck by said face of said club.
 11. A golf practice aid as defined in claim 10, and in which a. said indicator member comprises a disc having a body portion, b. said adhesives are disposed on said body portion, and c. said disc includes an adhesive-free tab projecting outwardly away from said body portion for manually stripping said disc from said sheet members and from such a club head.
 12. A golf practice aid as defined in claim 11, and in which a. one of said sheet members extends beyond said disc in all directions, and b. the other of said sheet members comprises 